Living with surface water shortage and surplus: The case of sustainable agricultural water storage

Agricultural farmers are experiencing change in how they must manage surface water storage systems. When faced with water shortage in times of drought, there is an incentive to build up stores of water and this can be inequitable for users downstream. Furthermore, in times of water surplus in flood, the storage structures can become unsafe, with catastrophic consequences. Despite the importance of the dual-extreme problem of unsustainably managed farm dams, there is also evidence of deficiencies and inconsistencies in farm dam management policy across Australia. When coupled with evidence of widespread unsustainable farm dam management practice, the way farmers respond to management pressures from regulators becomes a critical concern. The research applies Oliver's strategic response typology to a survey of 202 farmers in two states in Australia with different levels of sustainable surface water storage equity and safety policy: disconnectedness in South Australia, and interconnectedness in Tasmania. Results suggest that even in a strong, interconnected policy environment, where laws are in line with farmer goals and do not infringe on decision-making power, there may still be resistance and attempts to manipulate the regulatory pressures. Findings indicate a need to consider more flexible elements of regulation adaptable to specific settings.